TOKYO - Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno apologized on May 29th after confusion spread over a new policy that will allow some medical institutions to charge cancellation fees for missed appointments from June, stressing that the fees will apply only in limited cases.
The misunderstanding arose after many people came to believe that cancellation fees would be imposed on reservations at all medical institutions nationwide beginning next month.
Under the revised system, certain medical facilities will be permitted to charge cancellation fees for appointment cancellations under specific conditions.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued a notification to medical institutions in March regarding the policy change. However, as misconceptions spread suggesting that all medical appointments would become subject to cancellation charges, the ministry released a new notice on May 29th to clarify the rules.
Ueno acknowledged the confusion caused by the earlier guidance.
"We have issued a corrective notice regarding the notification in question. I would like to apologize for the confusion this has caused in the field," Ueno said.
According to the ministry, cancellation fees can only be charged by medical institutions that have reported the system to the ministry and already collect reservation fees from patients. The measure applies to only about 900 facilities nationwide, representing a small fraction of Japan's healthcare providers.
The government emphasized that the vast majority of hospitals and clinics will not be affected by the change, and patients should not assume that cancellation fees will automatically apply to all medical appointments from June.
Previously: Japan's Hospitals to Introduce Cancellation Fees
Source: TBS
